Learning Disability Skills Specialist
37hrs/week
£12.96/hr: £24940.09 (Spinal Point 2)
Start date: a.s.a.p (with DBS clearance)
Location: NE24 1LL
Learning Disability Specialist Worker
The Role
Journey’s team of Learning Disability Skills Specailists plan and deliver activities sessions for groups of 8-10 adults with learning disabilities. Activities are designed to enable each Client to develop life and work skills, supporting Clients to lead active, inclusive and fulfilling lives in their home community. Sessions take place both at our Day Centres and off site, making the most of our landscape, local facilities and services.
Our Learning Disability Support Workers come from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, enabling us to offer Clients an exciting and varied programme of activities throughout the year. We are joined regularly by specialist coaches/tutors from external organisations who are commissioned to take some Client sessions alongside Support Workers. Support Workers are also joined by students on placement and by our sessional Volunteers.
Principal Duties:
- To plan and deliver activities sessions for groups of adults with learning disability to develop life and work skills;
- To develop and take Clients to community-based sessions such as sports, arts, environmental and outdoor pursuits, shopping and community navigation;
- To work with the Staff Team & Clients on our funded Projects;
- To work with the Staff Team & Clients on our enterprise and fundraising initiatives;
- To monitor and evaluate Clients’ progress against their Care Support Plan aspirations and our I Can Framework;
What do we offer?
We welcome Staff from a wide range of backgrounds.
Whether you are experienced, starting your career, want to change careers or are returning to working life, Journey might just be for you.
We offer:
- A competitive salary
- 36 days' annual leave
- 1 additional days' leave (pro rata) for each completed year of service, up to 10 additional days
- Holiday buy-back scheme
- 'Gifted' additional holiday days over the Christmas period
- Benenden Healthcare (private diagnostic and therapies healthcare including counselling)
- Discounted meals and free refreshments at our sites
- Cycle2Work Scheme
- Contributory pension scheme
- Enhanced Training & Development Programme
- Journey 'swag bag' goodies pack
Your professional development
Journey Enterprises provides services which support adults with a learning disability to develop life and work skills and to manage their health & wellbeing.
We do not provide any personal care services and are not a Care Quality Commission regulated service.
All Clients must be able to manage continence and medication to attend Day Service.
Clients are on site from 09 .30 to 15.30, giving front-line Staff an hour pre and post Clients for preparation, reporting and clearing/cleaning.
Training and Development
Journey's Training and Development programme enables all Staff to develop their skills and practice and progress in their career. The Charity has training agreements in place and can advise on additional funding and scholarships for wider course fees.
Supporting our staff
Journey holds Disability Confident Employer, Mindful Employer and Better Health at Work and Leaders Council of Great Britain quality marks.
Our Staff are managed in small teams led by a Manager. New members of Staff are assigned a buddy who will provide information, advice and informal support.
Every Staff member receives 3-4 support & supervision sessions and an annual appraisal each year from their Manager.
The Charity has a commissioned private healthcare programme including counselling. This service is available to its employees 24/7 and their immediate family members. Our Line Managers are trained in supporting mental health and the workplace, to identifying and supporting employee carers and colleagues with disabilities.
We provide Carers and Disability Leave.
Connecting with Colleagues
Journey works across four sites and in the community. Making sure Staff meet regularly and keep in touch is a priority.
Our Teams meet every month and Hub teams have daily handovers. Whole Company, Managers and Leadership Team meetings are held bi-monthly.
Two Away Days are held annually giving everyone a chance to meet together, undertake some professional development in a fun and informal setting and meet our Trustees.
Special events and productions give Colleagues and Clients the opportunity to meet and enjoy time with others. During 2023 we celebrated our 40th year and had a wonderful Gala evening and summer fete for all Staff/ and Clients.
365 - Outlook, Yammer and Teams are used daily to communicate across the Charity, share news and best practice, and to link Staff to additional resources. All Staff are asked to login at the start of each day both to Microsoft and to our CRM, Charitylog.
Working Pattens
The Charity’s normal operations are 08.30 – 16.30 (Monday – Thursday) and 08.30 -16.00 on Fridays.
Some Staff have site-based roles, some combine community-based roles with site-based delivery and some undertake flexible working from home.
The Charity has a ratio of Staff working part-time and we can offer job share.
Occasionally staff are asked to undertake unsocial hours at weekends, early starts or evenings, for which Time Off in Lieu (TOIL) is given. For part-time staff agreed overtime may be paid in place of TOIL.
Pay and benefits
Our benefits package: competitive rates of pay, generous leave allowance, employer pension, sickness pay, private healthcare, Cycle2Work, annual leave buy-back, discounted meals and refreshments and a Journey swag-bag.
“There is a genuine feeling of dedication and commitment around fun and a ‘can-do’ attitude.” (feedback from Staff during IIP inspection)
Eligibility to work in Social Care Services
Under the Health & Social Care Act, all Social Care workers must be qualified to work with vulnerable adults and/or children. If you are applying to us to work as a Learning Disability Support Worker with our Clients you must already hold, or be prepared to work towards, your NVQ 2 in Health & Social Care. Our Seniors take Level 3 Health & Social Care. Managers of Health & Social Care Services must have a Level 5.
This applies to all Bank and Agency workers who wish to work at Journey.
Overseas Students currently studying in the UK
You must be fully qualified to work in Social Care and have relevant professional experience, ideally gained in Day Services. Journey Enterprises does not provide any personal care services but skills development (training) services for adults with learning disability.
Unless you are on a suitable Graduate Visa, we are not able to accept applications for permanent posts at Journey from overseas students on study visas. A student visa restricts the type of work and contract you can apply for. This excludes all permanent, full time posts.
We are not able to accept applications for more hours/week than your study visa permits. For a postgraduate this typically is no more than 20 hours/week across all jobs you are doing.
We must be able to verify your full background: education, qualifications and prior professional experience, in addition to completion of an enhanced DBS check.
Pay: £24,940.09 per year
Benefits:
- Additional leave
- Company pension
- Private medical insurance
- Sick pay
Application question(s):
- NVQ 2 or 3 Health & Social Care or willingness to work towards - essential
- Current UK driving licence and access to suitable transportation for the role (or Access to Work within work transport package) - essential
- Experience or knowledge of working with vulnerable adults - desirable
- Good knowledge of local services and facilities which could benefit people with learning disability - desirable
- Confident IT skills i.e. Windows, Microsoft 365 (email, Word, Publisher, PowerPoint, Excel, Yammer, Teams) and Adobe, web Chat Forums, Video Conference Calling (FaceTime, Zoom and MS Teams), social media (Facebook and Instagram) or willingness to train in these packages - desirable
- Disability-specialist training e.g. positive behaviour support, person-centred practice, autism awareness, Makaton, BSL - desirable
- D1 minibus licence & MiDAS or willingness to work towards - desirable
Work Location: In person
